Elizabeth Beck » new research

Asthma and Art Therapy

Liz — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 23:55:14 +0000

May’s online issue of the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology included a study that demonstrated the effectiveness of art therapy with pediatric asthma patients.

“In art therapy, patients create artwork that helps express their feelings about an illness, a trauma or medical concerns. The artwork can then serve as a starting point for discussions about these issues. Researchers believe that creating art helps participants establish distance between themselves and their medical concerns. They learn to understand that they have a personal identity outside of their illness. It is believed to be particularly effective with children because they often do not have the adult capabilities to verbally articulate their emotions, perceptions, or beliefs, and often can more comfortably convey ideas in ways other than talking.”

Science Daily

Money versus Psychotherapy

Liz — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:53:10 +0000

A recent article on Science Daily, Psychological Therapy 32 Times More Cost Effective at Increasing Happiness Than Money.

Online Games to Boost Self-Esteem

Liz — Mon, 25 May 2009 18:02:59 +0000

Researchers at McGill University have created several online activities called Self Esteem Games, helping people build self confidence and stay on the positive side of life. The games force you to recognize happy faces and/or your own name, creating a positive association to yourself and others in your mind. In other words, the exercises foster an individual’s ability to recognize and focus on positive environmental stimuli (i.e., smiling people) rather than the negative, allowing the players to practice having a positive or more optimistic attentional bias.

The games are easy, fun, fast and somewhat meditative…something that would be appropriate for pretty much anyone to do on their own, or perhaps at the beginning or end of a therapy session…or even as homework after a therapy session is over. Homework that’s fun? Well, that IS something to be excited about!

Drawing enhances emotional verbalization among children under the shadow of drug-addicted fathers

Liz — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 18:46:31 +0000

On the Art Therapy Alliance message board found on LinkedIn, Susan Boyes, Art Therapist and CEO at Center for Creative Growth posted a link to the Science Blog. The link discusses new research on art therapy and its efficacy with children who are experiencing trauma symptoms due to living with a drug addicted father.